Angelina Jolie film ad banned

The poster for the Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy film Wanted that has been banned for glamorising gun crime. Photograph: Advertising Standards Authority/PA

Billboard ads for Angelina Jolie film Wanted have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for glamorising gun violence.

The posters for the Hollywood movie featured Jolie and her co-star James McAvoy holding guns in a variety of positions in a comic book-style montage of pictures.

One ad featured Jolie lying on her back across the bonnet of a car, holding a gun next to the text: "We drove through the night at breathtaking speed, destroying everything in our path … welcome to the fraternity. We are a team of assassins, the weapons of fate. Kill one, save a thousand."

The ASA said the line "Six weeks ago I was just like you … and then I met her … and my world was changed forever" suggested McAvoy's character's life had been changed for the better since he had become an assassin.

A total of 18 people complained about two posters for the 18-certificate action film, which was released in the UK in June.

They included complaints that the ads glorified and glamorised gun crime and were likely to provoke violence or antisocial behaviour.

Seven of the complainants also said the posters were unsuitable to be seen by children.

Universal Pictures, the Hollywood studio responsible for Wanted, said the style of the advert reflected the film's comic book roots and the story of a man's journey from an office geek to action guy.

"Universal Pictures stated that they were aware that the current climate was sensitive and believed the text and images were relevant to the advertised film and communicated the themes without causing serious or widespread offence," said the ASA.

However, the ASA ruled that "because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorise the use of guns and violence".

"We concluded [the] ads … could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorising the use of guns," the regulator said.

The complaints were only partially upheld, with the ASA concluding that the ads were "unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence" because "most members of the public would understand that the posters reflected the content of an action film".

In its ruling, the watchdog said that the ads must not appear again in their current form.

Universal said the ads were no longer appearing and it had no plans for their future use.

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it doesn't seem THAT much gun glorifying. i suppose it's better to be safe than sorry is their reasoning? i honestly don't know if that promotes gun violence or not. i'm not saying it is, but i'm not saying it isn't either.

 

I really hate stupid things like this. They act as tho a kid hasent seen a gun in his life and this poster would most obviously make them violent antisocial killers.
I had a toy gun as a kid. Loved it... Do I want to kill people now? Uhhh NO!

Besides the ads are all over tv anyway. And lots of tv shows have gun like weapons or swords whatever. Removing this add would do nothing whatsoever. :/ Seriously, if you try cover a kids eyes to every small thing like this there gonna be too afraid to leave there mamas and make there own way in the world when there old enough.

 

I'm going to move this to Current Events since it is a passing news thing.

I find this funny though. There are movies with guns in them and posters with guns all over. Really, this is ignorant and yet another way fundamentalist conservatives again take the rights away from others because 'children' are an excuse. Most children aren't this dumb and sad to say but kids play with toy guns all the time and it doesn't make them grow up to be serial or spree killers or 'terrorists'. Pathetic control for what offends a few and once again we are supposed to think of 'the children' when children aren't going to even be so affected. They'd be more affected if we slapped posters with superheroes with guns in their hands like Batman or Spiderman. Oh their poor little brains and mixed messages. We've forgotten how to tell kids that movies are just fantasy.

 

Pure bullshit. What the hell? It isn't that bad.

 

lmfao

Of course the fact that controversy makes sales and interest much bigger would hardly have filtered into their minds.

If you take any ad for any movie you can find something wrong with it. Alos, ****ing lol 18 people complained. Someone will always complain about something. It is a sad state of affairs when the narrow mindedness of the minority affect and influence the majority. ​